Cruelty-free living for vegans and future vegans big and small

Sweetpea Pantry Mixes

As a parent I am always trying to make my daughter’s food healthy, fun and tasty. Sweetpea Pantry’srange of pizza dough, pancake, biscuit, brownie, cupcake and flapjack mixes are junk-free and packed with goodness. They are great fun to make, easily veganised and get you spending quality time together in the kitchen plus the end product tastes great.

We tried out the pizza dough mix – as with most families it’s one of our favourite dinners, and we can load them with veg for extra flavour and goodness. For cheese it’s always non-dairy. There are many to choose from but we have two favourites: Follow Your Heart’s pack of shredded mozzarellaand MozzaRisella, which Zizzi uses on its vegan pizzas. More information on why we don’t eat any dairy click here.

The packet contains white and wholemeal flour, flaxseeds (high in omega 3), chia seeds (for calcium, omega 3 and phosphorus) yeast, salt and oregano. The instructions on the packet are foolproof. Get the kids involved in the process, forget the spoon and invite them to make a glorious sticky mess combining the dough with their hands. They can help clean up too! An hour later and your mix is ready for rolling and topping. For toppings we had spinach, olives, yellow peppers, mushrooms and some Tofurky strips. As with all pizzas, the hotter the oven the better and in 10 minutes you have a healthy meal (as long as you are mindful with your toppings!).

There is no point my writing about how wonderful things are if they are then not eaten and, as the photo shows, my little one couldn’t even wait to sit down before eating hers! Empty plates and full tummies all round.

Of course it’s very simple to make your own mixes, but sometimes it’s easier and saves time if it’s all just done for you. I’m the first in line to embrace a lazy day! These pre-measured mixes are also perfect for taking away on breaks. Who wants to pack 500g bags of flour and packets of yeast in your suitcase? They also make fun rainy-day hassle-free activities for you to enjoy with your children or grandchildren.

Available from Ocado, Tesco, Sainsburys, M&S, Yumbles and good local heathfood stores, RRP £4.99 per pack.